Some functions of society actually are better performed by the government. One of the more important roles we think of is that of safety compliance.

There really isn't a profitable private business model we can imagine that would ensure particular industries are providing safe, reliable goods or services.

As such, the state of Kansas is appropriately tasked with inspecting restaurants, grocery stores, beauty salons, and -- when it has funding -- hotels and motels. Day care facilities also fall under the state's purview. Most of them, anyway.

Childcare providers in Kansas operate in one of five categories: registered homes, license homes, group day care homes, child care centers and preschools. Current law demands regular inspections of every group except registered homes.

According to many child-safety advocates, this gap is deadly, for it only requires $5 and some paperwork to become a "registered" day care. And of the 30 Kansas children who have died while in child care during the past three years, most occurred in one of the 2,569 registered homes around the state. The same goes for serious injuries, of which there were 72 last year alone.

The advocates, such as Kansas Action for Children out of Topeka, are not equating registered providers with substandard or inadequate care. Neither are we. But we do believe the state has a compelling interest in inspecting these providers as well in order to provide parents some assurance their children will be safe while in others' hands.

So does the Kansas Senate. We applaud its decision Wednesday to eliminate the category of "registered" day care provider, opting instead to force all facilities to be licensed and, as such, be subject to inspections. We hope the House has the same enthusiasm in correcting a flaw in the system. Currently, Kansas ranks 47th in the nation when it comes to child care oversight.

We urge the Legislature to pass this bill quickly. The children, and parents, of Kansas deserve some modicum of safety assurance.

Editorial by Patrick Lowry

plowry@dailynews.net